Vickers Valetta

Military transport aircraft as of the 1940s

Overview

Vickers-Armstrongs United Kingdom 1947–1952

The Vickers Valetta was built and manufactured by Vicker-Armstrong Ltd as a military transport aircraft in the late 1940s. The Valetta was designed featured an all-metal structure with mid-mounted wings, twin engines, and tailwheel-type landing gear. It was developed from the Vickers VC.1 Viking.

Specifications

Units
Engine
2 × Bristol Hercules 230
Engine type
Piston
Power
2 × 2,000 hp · 1,491 kW
Avionics
—
Wing tips
No winglets
Seats
38
Crew
—
Cabin width
—
Cabin height
—
Cabin length
—
Exterior length
62 ft 11 in  ·  19.18 m
Tail height
19 ft 7 in  ·  5.97 m
Fuselage diameter
8 ft 10 in  ·  2.70 m
Wing span
89 ft 3 in  ·  27.20 m
Baggage volume
—
Gross weight
—
Empty weight
—
Max takeoff weight
36,500 lb  ·  16,600 kg
Max landing weight
—
Max payload
6,300 lb  ·  2,850 kg
Fuel capacity
870 gal · 3,300 L · 2,400 kg (AvGas)
Max cruise speed
224 kt  ·  258 mph  ·  415 km/h
Maximum speed
—
Cruise speed
—
Approach speed
—
Range
1,270 nm  ·  1,460 mi  ·  2,350 km
Fuel burn
—
Ceiling
21,500 ft  ·  6,600 m
Rate of climb
1,275 ft/min  ·  6 m/s
Takeoff distance
3,750 ft  ·  1,140 m
Landing distance
4,250 ft  ·  1,300 m
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Vickers Valetta C.2

Operational Context

The Vickers Valetta was developed from the Vickers VC.1 Viking civil airliner. It was a military transport aircraft that conducted its maiden flight on June 30, 1947. The first flight took off from Brooklands, piloted by Captain Mutt Summers. It was the 58th Viking that was converted into the Valetta prototype. Unlike its predecessor, the Vickers Valetta was equipped with better and improved engines, a reinforced floor, and enlarged loading doors. Valetta was available in four main variants designated as C.1, C.2, T.3, and T.4.

In 1948, the Valetta C-1 entered service with the Royal Air Force and had taken over the Douglas Dakota military transport. In 1956, the aircraft was utilized to perform parachute drops during the Suez Crisis or the Second Arab-Israeli War. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Valetta served as transport assistance for numerous British Military operations like the Malayan Emergency as well as operations in Aden.

A total of 211 C.1 were built. The Valetta C.2 was produced as a VIP transport with additional range. A total of eleven C.2s were built. The Valetta T.3 was designed as an aircrew trainer for the Royal Air Force College. A total of forty T.3s were produced. In August 1951, aircraft deliveries started and in September 1952, the final T.3 with serial number WJ487 was delivered. The Valetta T.4 was a converted T.3 that featured a stretched nose to fit a radar scanner for crew training in the Airborne Interception. Eighteen T.3s were modified to become T.4s.

The Valetta C.1 is powered by twin Bristol Hercules 230 fourteen-cylinder radial piston engine rated at 2,000 horsepower each. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 224 knots and a cruise speed of 149 knots. It can fly up to 21,500 feet and climb at a rate of 1,275 feet per minute. The travel range at 10,000 feet and 183 knots is 1,270 nautical miles. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 16,556 kg.